Food for Thought: How does KFC's grilled chicken compare?

Tuesday

Click inside for the weekly food rail, with a critique of KFC's Kentucky Grilled Chicken, an easy recipe for Spoom, tips for a healthy potluck, and more. Or check out the links below:

Food page: Garlic mustard

The all-American grill

Cook like a desperate housewife

Family plans to try '100-Mile Diet'

More in food

Would You Buy It? KFC’s Kentucky Grilled Chicken

Details: The fast-food chicken purveyor has come out with a non-fried item: chicken that has been marinated, seasoned with six herbs and spices and slow grilled. Each piece has between 70 and 180 calories, depending on the size, and between 4 and 9 grams of fat.

Comments: The grilled chicken had a pleasing appearance and aroma and we found it tender and well-seasoned. But there was nothing distinctive about it, nothing that sets it apart from grilled chicken sold at other places. “Greasier than I thought it would be.” “Very moist.” “It’s nice to have a healthier option.”

Would you buy it? If we’re going to eat chicken from KFC, fried is our first choice. But enough tasters liked the grilled chicken that we can say, yes, we would buy it.

Heat water and stir in sugar to melt into syrup. Beat egg whites until peaks form meringue. Continue beating while pouring in the syrup. Then stir in the sherbet and freeze.

Pour 2 tablespoons of wine over each dish and serve.

Serves 12.

-- Canton Repository

Tip of the Week: Have a healthy potluck

It’s the season for outdoor potlucks, picnics and barbecues. To avoid food-borne illness at family gatherings, take precautions.

When carrying food to another location, keep it cold to minimize bacterial growth. Use an insulated cooler with sufficient ice or ice packs to keep the food at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Pack food right from the refrigerator into the cooler immediately before leaving home.

Keep meat and poultry refrigerated until ready to use. Only take out the meat and poultry that will immediately be placed on the grill.

When using a cooler, keep it out of the direct sun by placing it in the shade or shelter. Avoid opening the lid too often, which lets cold air out and warm air in. Pack beverages in one cooler and perishables in a separate cooler.

-- USDA

Did You Know?

Police in Germany were searching for a motorist who beat a woman selling white asparagus because he was upset about her asking price for the coveted springtime vegetable.

Food Quiz

Tequila is a spirit made in Mexico. From what cactus-like plant is Tequila made?

A. Hueve
B. Quintana
C. Jalisco
D. Agave

(www.funtrivia.com)

Answer is at bottom of column

Wise to the Word: Sweet

Cooking terms may not mean what they seem. “Sweet” to most of us indicates a presence of sugar. Not in cooking. “Sweet” can mean lack of hot flavor.

The word separates foods offered in spicy and nonspicy versions, such as peppers, sausage, paprika, etc. It often is found in flavorings such as sweet butter, sweet oregano and sweet basil. None of these, incidentally, is sugary or peppery.

“Sweet” has evolved. About 100 years ago, something was “sweet” that was not spoiled or rancid, such as sweet milk and sweet cream. Refrigeration and the need for a positive marketing description changed its focus.

-- Canton Repository

Number to Know: 53.1

Calories in 1 cup of raw, sliced strawberries. – calorielab.com

The Dish On …

“Eat Cheap but Eat Well” by Charles Mattocks

If you're looking for easy ways to feed your family on a budget, then this cookbook is for you.

Appearing on TV as "The Poor Chef," Charles Mattocks has spent years demonstrating that it's possible to serve up healthy, tasty meals for only $7 -- or less. Now, in this practical cookbook, Charles collects the all-time best penny-pinching recipes from his television appearances.

Contributed by real cooks around the country and inspired by cuisines around the globe, the recipes you'll find inside have only two things in common: they're incredibly cheap and they're incredibly delicious.

Featuring engaging photographs, including 16 pages in full color, plus icons to help you spot the most affordable recipes at a glance and tips on satisfying cravings for less, “Eat Cheap but Eat Well” is your indispensable kitchen companion in today's tough economic times.

From the Beer Nut’s Blog

My editor saw a birthday card she thought was perfect for me, even though my birthday is months away.

It features a beer prayer. Here it is:?

“Our Lager,?Which art in barrels,? Hallowed by thy drink,
“The kegdom come, ?I fill thee mug,? at home, as in the tavern.
“Give us this day, our foamy head,
"?And forgive us our spillages,? as we forgive those who spill upon us,?
"And lead us not, into inebriation,? but deliver us from hangovers, ?Barmen.”

Just thought I would share.

To read more from the Beer Nut, visit http://blogs.townonline.com/beernut/

Food Quiz Answer

D. Agave

GateHouse News Service

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